The controversial documentary series FIRE, in which young people are portrayed as wanting to 'get rich quickly and retire early' has been removed from the streaming platform VRT MAX, reported the Flemish broadcaster VRT.
The series received the necessary criticism and research by VRT NWS shows that one of the portrayed young people is involved in a Russian pyramid scheme.
“What really bothers me is how examples are being portrayed where people have gone from 300 to 50,000 euros, or make millions of euros in profit with crypto, trading, casino capitalism or pure gambling. That is about the worst signal you can give to young people at this time," says The Tijd editor-in-chief, Isabel Albers. "Smart investing and saving are something completely different.”
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In response, the VRT says that the program was never intended as an educational program.
“With FIRE we have tried to portray a current, albeit controversial, phenomenon with real stories and people. It was clear to every attentive viewer that not every story in the series is equally suitable as an example to follow.”
“But because the pressure continues to give the series a different calling than intended and because this, unfortunately, also undermines the wide, valuable educational offer of VRT, we have decided to remove the series from the offer," the Flemish broadcaster continued in a statement.
"The discussion about FIRE has meanwhile taken a road to which the series did not want to answer at all and which does its purpose injustice,” VRT concluded.
